DE 1 446 828 A1 discloses a reflecting transfer film and a process for the production of reflex-reflecting articles, for example for marking articles of clothing. The transfer film has a transfer layer comprising an adhesive layer, a rubber-like bonding agent layer disposed thereon, with incorporated, partly protruding microballs, and a strippable protective layer on the adhesive side of the transfer layer. On its front side the transfer layer has a dimensionally stable carrier substrate which can be stripped off dry after being glued on. For transfer onto an article of clothing a hot iron is firmly pressed onto the carrier substrate of the structure and then the carrier substrate is stripped off the reflex-reflecting transfer film. To apply markings of different kinds of shapes the respective motifs are firstly cut out and then applied to the subjacent article of clothing or fabric.
Furthermore, it is also generally known in the art that offset printing principally provides the option of extremely high production rates (which may e.g. amount up to 20.000 sheets per hour), if compared e.g. to a screen print process. However, in attempts to apply the technology of offset printing to the production of transfer films a problem that arises in practice is that the realistic total throughput in production is strongly limited by the time that is needed for the necessary application of a (typically white) intermediate layer—usually in a screen print process—onto the colored print image created in a mirror image relationship in the offset printing machine within a strictly predetermined time window of typically 24-48 hours. Otherwise, if the (typically white) intermediate layer is printed too early (in less than 24 h), the offset colorants in the colored print image are not sufficiently dried and therefore not wipe-resistant and not washing-resistant. If the intermediate layer is applied too late (after more than 48 h), problems may occur during the later transfer applying process since the offset colorants have oxidized completely, which may lead to their sticking to the transfer paper. The afore-described limitation to the total manufacturing process leads to small production rates (which may typically be in the order of magnitude of e.g. 500-800 sheets per hour), which are further reduced if additional layers are printed.
As further prior art, reference is exemplarily made to EP 1 137 546 B1.